——谈南溪的水墨艺术 

文／冀少峰

南溪开创性地赋予了静态的画面有种动态感，使二维水墨走向了三维表达，从而不仅颠覆了人们惯常的视觉经验，更让纸介水墨往前跨出了一大步。

南溪开创性地赋予了静态的画面有种动态感，使二维水墨走向了三维表达，从而不仅颠覆了人们惯常的视觉经验，更让纸介水墨往前跨出了一大步。这一跨越，不仅仅是媒材的超越，更是水墨观念的一种拓展，可以毫不夸张地讲，南溪的这种视觉图像的艺术史意义是显而易见的。

南溪机智地抓住了我们所处这个时代最敏感的神经，清晰地预见到自己艺术未来发展的方向，这也注定他的探索至少在观念上为人们提供了另一种思考的维度，也为沉寂的水墨画坛注入了一股清新的活力。他智慧性地将摄影、图像通过笔墨转换到宣纸上，这其实是绘画印刷、数码成像媒介的一次综合展演，可以说，围棋棋谱、印刷网点，数码成像构成了其视觉叙事的源头，重复的点，则成了南溪的标志性语符。

而对图像的挪用与解构，更是他一贯的追求。应该说，南溪挪用的这些图像都带有一种公共阅读经验，是一种集体主义的阅读，这是他本人无法逃避的事实和生活的印迹。这是一种带有非绘画性的数码成像风格，其突出特征是数码网点取代传统的水墨话语，其潜在话语则是对水墨艺术的认知，也使他探寻到一种另类的水墨表达方式，他在寻找的过程中，一步步逐渐开始形成一套自我的叙事模式。他开始搬用图片，把个人生活记忆和经历和当代生活相关联，从中找到一种独特的叙事方式。这种方式改变了传统水墨的叙事方式，认知方式和品鉴方式，甚至在创作方法上也与传统意义的水墨大异其趣。但数码时代水墨艺术发展的新路径却透过南溪的视觉表达正初显端倪。南溪搬用图像，这不只是一个普通的观念，这其实是南溪观念的表达方式，是南溪社会主义经验的视觉见证。他似乎要迫不及待地擦去这种历史记忆，又似乎有一种忘却，但忘却显然不可能，它唤起的只能是内心深处的记忆，他在不经意间，复活了历史，激活了那种灾难所淹没的历史回忆，从南溪的视觉图像世界中不难发现，那些“南氏晕点”淹没了线，淹没了图像，也淹没了绘画，但彰显出的却是数码时代，图像艺术时代的一种新方式。南溪视觉图景中的图像性质也发生了变化，这些图像不仅再现了我们生存的社会现实，也昭示出数码时代的一种生活方式：当代社会生活和视觉经验的记忆，在当代社会，我们愈来愈处于网络和数字所包围的窘境中，数字生活在带给我们快捷方便时，也使我们处于一种非常尴尬的位置，这也是我们无法逃避的事实。

探寻南溪的创作路径不难发现：

一、围棋棋谱是他艺术探索的源由之一。

看似平静的棋局背后，其实永远处在一种不可知的动态中。冒险、求生欲望与激情间的博弈，也使南溪在领略棋谱魅力的同时，也把它贯穿到自己的艺术实践中。

二、在对传统文化进行研判的过程中，南溪深知黑白被视为最能体现中国艺术精神的基本元素。计白当黑更成为一种画理而深入人心。

三、当代的生存经验和视觉经验也为南溪提供了蜕变的理由。

印刷的点，数码成像无疑再一次成为他的灵感之源。他所精心编织的这个三维空间，初看起来杂乱不堪，凝神定气之后，你会奇迹般地发现一幅幅跃动着的既虚幻又模糊的画面，伴随着灯光，色调，观看位置角度和距离的不同，视觉图式又会为阅读者带来多方面的视觉体验，这也导致了观众始终对南溪的艺术充满着一种视觉的憧憬与期盼。其实，每一位近距离走进南溪的观众，很难从表面的一瞥中看出图像的真实意图，而当阅读者凝神定气聚焦的那一刻，一种奇妙而又偶然的效果扑面而来。隐藏在表象之后的图像似乎要跃出了画面，对点的迷恋及南氏笔路所生发出的奇幻晕眩形态，才是南溪要传达的根本。即他开创性地赋予了静态的画面有种动态感，使二维水墨走向了三维表达，从而不仅颠覆了人们惯常的视觉经验，更让纸介水墨往前跨出了一大步。这一跨越，不仅仅是媒材的超越，更是水墨观念的一种拓展，可以毫不夸张地讲，南溪的这种视觉图像的艺术史意义是显而易见的。因为艺术史恰恰是对那些没有出现过的艺术风格与样式的关注。但是，人们还是存有这样的疑问。南氏晕点和笔路是静态，如何又能传达出动态的感觉呢？诚然，单个的南氏晕点和笔路不容否认是处于一种静止的状态，而不同的图像通过共同的载体，点和笔路之间有秩序的排列，给人们提供了一个新的三维空间结构和交互体验感。简单色点和笔路的差异性的重复排列：点和笔路的深浅浓淡干湿或隐或显，给观者一种二维三维混搭，并生发出一种错觉的透视关系和编码系统，从而在作品与读者间增添了一个阅读空间，点的排列生发出一个个相互作用产生的不同色彩的层次感的空间结构，而颜料的稀稠，水分的多少，都令作品产生丰富的变化，读者观看角度的差异，观看距离的远近，生发出的幻想也不尽相同，他的视觉图像散发出的那种扑朔迷离，亦真亦幻，恍兮惚兮，其中有像的虚幻而又模糊的动态美感，似乎图像永远处在一种似与不似运动的状态。圆点和笔路（南氏笔路）在预先设计好的形的下面，有秩序地排列。点的正侧远近，颜色的搭配都达到了一种均衡和谐状态，数字时代的视觉网点构成了当代视觉经验下的视觉结构。而笔触则被转换成了一个个色点，点的排放自由有序，收放有度，秩序感、运动感、神秘感弥漫其间。

可以说，为了实现这一艺术的蜕变与超越，他苦心思索，不断锤炼，不断趋于完善，其间不乏绞尽脑汁的系列实验，而不断的摸索与实践，也使南氏晕点和南氏笔路日渐成熟并日渐成为当代艺术界所熟悉。从不同的展览中你都可以清晰地辨识到南溪风格的别样与差异。由此，我们清晰地洞察到南溪的视觉逻辑：一种限定的用色，一种差异性的重复排列，一种以晕点行走在视觉文化领域，并且点中有线，线中含面，面里裹夹着色彩，色彩里充溢着浪漫的激情和无限遐想。如果对南溪的视觉图像再分析，我们会发现，其图像来源也很清楚，一个源于南溪的历史记忆，这是带有明显的社会主义经验烙印和集体阅读的经历。另一个来源就是他的亲身经历，来自现场的一种直观感受和视觉经验，亦有对社会事件的记录。图像在这里具有了叙事性，而对历史事件及历史图像的复制，点的并置排列，也体现出南溪的直觉思考和社会认识。

当然，南溪给人印象最深的还是红色波普系列。如领袖像、阅兵式、明星像等。这些直接取材于明星照和时装模特，也有从传统文化中如画像石中汲取灵感。他尽力保持传统水墨的本质因素，但又能从自我的当代生活经验出发，创造出一个虚幻的色点景观世界。这种用虚幻的语言表现现实的世界，现实也被虚幻化了，虚假的繁荣，泡沫化的危机感，使我们连自己是谁，是什么都难以分辨清楚。从严格意义上讲，南溪跨出的这一步实在是太大了，这不仅让人看到了一个另类的南溪，也让我们看到他那虚幻的镜像背后的真实意义及隐藏在他内心深处的一种文化记忆和个体在激变的社会中命运的沉与浮。他力图保持有传统水墨的本质因素，但又能融合数字时代生活的新方式、新经验，使传统水墨在当代社会中发生了转型。传统水墨之所以在当代语境中失去了活力，就在于其语言体系与社会生活文化严重脱节。南溪站在本土文化的立场，探寻到一种独有的表达方式。从南溪的水墨艺术图像中，我们清晰地窥视到他那有着刻骨铭心的文化记忆，但不能不说他的确也映射了消费社会的消费观念，即什么都可以用来消费的，其间也带有种国际政治倾向，即国际社会对中国的关注度。因为国际社会希冀从阅兵式中试图窥测到中国崛起的秘密，也试图从中发现，为什么中国现在可以说不，中国不高兴的理由。这显然是能产生轰动效应的热门题材，而对新式武器的追踪，也正是西方世界最终想探到中国综合军事实力的梦寐以求的梦想。当然，阅兵式中的集体主义的力量，军人的神圣刚毅，规整秩序恰恰是有着军旅生涯的南溪军旅生活的移情写照。军旅生活的经历和精神体验是他关注阅兵式最好的理由和注脚，也让观者充分体会到“点”的集合排列所散发出的恢弘气韵及壮阔之美。不难发现，尽管领袖像和明星们的面孔并没有发生根本的改变，但此时此刻他们所代表的意义已完全被消解。他们所依赖的真实空间已被各种小圆点所取代，他们已不再是具有精神分析的深度人物了，而是被抽象为一个个单纯的色点组合，一个没有任何意义但却散发着强烈的当代文化气息的文化符号，呈现出的是一种轻松荒诞的意味，那些红色记忆的沉重与衰叹在阅读的瞬间即被消解了、解构了。在领袖像和明星像中，标志着中国两个发展时代的关键人物自然是南溪关注的重心，而消费时代的代表人物章子怡不乏好莱坞背景。她对应的则是当代社会的特征，昭示出物质高度发达、经济繁荣的时代，消费至上和名人崇拜，偶像崇拜的生活方式。

由此，视觉图像中的繁复细节被剔除得干干净净，隐藏在表象之后的图像开始若隐若现，并呈一种动态，三维空间的视觉体验颠覆了以往的美学定义，从而又颠覆了一种观看制度，并非空洞的影像，也让人们从仰望崇敬的膜拜状态而走向一种平视状态，进入到一种广阔的公共空间，它们不再是一种权威威仪的象征，而时尚明星这个大众文化和消费时代文化工业所生产出来的一个个影像符号，从明星们成功方式的背后，似乎也给观众提供了成为一个明星的“痴人说梦”的理想，而这种虚荣虚幻感的确又切合了当代社会的一种现实：当代社会人们依赖电视、电影及电脑所过滤的信息，有时不能不让人对这些信息源的可信度产生怀疑这样一个社会现实。但当代社会又真真切切是由电影、电视、印刷、网络、电脑等共同制造的图像世界，图像世界改变了人们的视觉欣赏习惯，当代生活越来越被网络化和符号化了，电视在耗去人们时间的同时，也在吞噬着人们的生命。但人们却在麻木着，享乐着，虚假的真实透过那晕眩的色点，不仅相互间得到了证明，也是南氏晕点当代精神的文化诉求。

此后的每一件作品无不透露着他的潜心思考和深思熟虑的印迹，更把我们所处时代的精神密码暴露无遗地呈现给观众：对领袖、英雄、明星的崇拜，对欲望追求的焦虑与疲惫，特别是近期对人民币的关注，再一次让我们惊叹南溪的敏锐，人民币体现着一种国际政治视野，我们处在西方强权的不断挑衅之中，时时会遭受强迫人民币升值的压力，其实从更广阔的深度看，它彰显的是一种中国奇迹，中国经验和中国模式，及伴随着中国和平崛起的经济的繁荣和消费文化的兴盛。

南溪2019年展览海报

南溪已然走在了当代水墨的前列，他那极富个性化的视觉描述和旺盛的创作激情，也使他的创作始终保持着独特的个性和永无休止的创新态势。那个散发着南溪独特情怀的小圆点，在与当下发生着一个个关联的同时，他又将带给我们一种什么样的视觉惊奇呢？但无论怎样，南溪带给我们的这种视觉经验无疑将会具有艺术史意义。

2010.8初稿于石家庄，12.26定稿于湖北美术馆

冀少峰

著名艺术批评家、策展人。

中国雕塑学会副会长、湖北美术馆原馆长。

第14届中国美术批评家年会轮值主席。中国文化艺术发展促进会当代艺术专业委员会副主任。文科岗二级教授。政府特殊津贴专家。

获评第55届威尼斯双年展唯一一项“组织策划特别贡献奖”和“最佳策划奖”。获评意大利“老桥奖”和“艺术生涯奖”，策划多个当代艺术展览。发表当代艺术评论百余万字。

出版专著《中国当代艺术批评文库：冀少峰自选集》（北岳文艺出版社）、《品图：冀少峰艺术批评文集》（河北美术出版社）、《从中转到再现代～中国雕塑史论文丛》。

冀少峰深耕当代艺术研究多年，凭借开阔的学术视野与敏锐的判断力，在中国当代水墨领域拥有广泛影响力。作为南溪“诡异3D三维水墨”策展人，他并主持相关学术辩论会，“鲁虹V S刘骁纯：南溪的三维水墨有意义吗”的辩论，影响极其深远。冀少峰策划“再肖像”“再水墨”等重磅展览，多次力荐南溪参展，以权威平台助推艺术家的水墨创新之路。

The Power of Three-Dimensional Space 

-- Ink Paintings by Nan Qi

Ji Shaofeng

In his art, Nan Qi is causing traditional ink and wash painting in contemporary society to change because, while he maintains the essential elements of the genre, he is integrating the digital age’s new ways of life and new experiences in it.  Traditional ink and wash in the contemporary context has lost its vitality because its language, culture and public relevance have become near obsolete.  Nan Qi, on the other hand, explores a unique expression of this traditional form within the context of contemporary culture.  He has pioneered a new kind of static image that includes a dynamic feature, causing two-dimensional ink and wash to evolve into the third dimension.  This not only subverts the usual visual experience, but allows the whole genre of paper and ink to take a big step forward, taking it beyond the conventions of the medium.  It is no overstatement to say that, with such an expansion of the concept of ink and wash, Nan Qi’s contributions to art history are significant.

Nan Qi’s wit captures the times we live in with a sensitivity that is all his own.  He has a clear understanding of the future direction of his art, which aims to provoke people into perceiving a new dimension of thought.  In so doing, he is giving a breath of fresh air and a new sense of vigor to the tranquil conventions of ink and wash.  He uses his brush skills to render photographic images onto rice paper, thereby achieving a combined performance of painting, printing, and digital imagery.  The game of Go, network printing and digital imaging all constitute the sources of his visual narrative, namely a Dot that is endlessly repeated and which has become the foremost symbol of Nan Qi’s work.  One of his artistic purposes lies in the appropriation and fragmentation of the image.  For this reason, he takes and manipulates well-known figures that are in the public consciousness.  They tether his art to reality, but his style of painting, which resembles digital imaging, is far from conventional; its outstanding feature is a network of Dots that replaces the traditional language of ink and wash.  This new discourse can be understood by those with knowledge of ink painting, but it also has power to enable an alternative means of expression in ink.  Nan Qi’s research into ink and wash has gradually led him the development of his own personal style.  Using pictures, personal memories and experiences associated with contemporary life, he has formed a unique and personal narrative.  In doing so, his approach and methods have changed the schema, parameters and appraisal criteria of traditional ink and wash to create something that, when compared with the traditional aesthetics and techniques of ink painting, is an entirely different animal.  However, this new development of digital ink art as set by Nan Qi’s visual expression has become an emerging trend.

Nan Qi’s applied images are not only a form of self-expression, but also a visual testimony of the socialist experience.  He cannot eliminate the events of history as the generally repressed (but not forgotten) memories of them still evoke emotions from deep within, leading, inadvertently, to a mental resurrection of history’s disasters.  These uprooted memories contain corresponding visual images that are not difficult to find in his work despite the attempts of the Nan Qi Dot to obliterate the lines of traditional ink and wash through adoption of a new type of image in the digital age.  Nan Qi’s visual imagery has changed; his images not only reproduce the social reality of our existence, but also show us a way of life outside the digital age.  This juxtaposition of contemporary social life and the memory of our past experiences is made more pertinent by the digital dilemma posed by the Internet—the ease with which we can access images of contemporary society combined with the awkwardness of being unable to escape from our past.  

The exploration of Nan Qi’s influences and the subsequent paths he has chosen are easy to plot.  First, there is the game of Go as a source of his artistic exploration; behind the seemingly peaceful game of chess is a hidden set of dynamics in which Nan Qi sees a sense of quest and adventure, and the desire to live a game of passion has become a major theme in his work.  Second, in the process of analyzing traditional culture, Nan Qi found that the play between the polar opposites of black and white best embodies the most basic elements and the very spirit of Chinese art.  His use of negative space makes his work all the more memorable.  Third, both his life experience and visual experience have had the effect of bringing about a transformation in him, as with the caterpillar changing into a  

butterfly.  His Dot and his unique form of digital imaging have become both his strength and his inspiration. 

In his 3D works, Nan Qi’s carefully woven three-dimensional spaces at first look cluttered, but on second glance, you will find the piece miraculously invigorated with both illusory and ambiguous imagery, affected by a plethora of variables: lighting, colors, viewing angles, positioning (of the painting and the viewer), distance, etc.  These factors generate a wide range of visual schema for the observer to interpret.  In fact, audiences who stand too close to Nan Qi’s work will not be able to see the true scope of the image, but upon taking a few steps back and readjusting their focus, they will find that the effects of his work become astonishingly clear.  Hidden behind the initially perceived image is another image that seems to leap out of the painting.  The massing of his Dots and Strokes causes an ethereal dizziness in the viewer, a reaction that conveys the fundamental Nan Qi style; the static two-dimensional image turns into a dynamic three-dimensional expression, that takes ink-on-paper to a new level in its evolution. 

As stated before, Nan Qi’s innovative work holds significance in a historical context.  Although history honors and exalts artists who invent groundbreaking and original styles, people are often skeptical.  If Nan Qi’s Dots and Strokes are static, how can they produce an entity that is dynamic?  Indeed, a single Dot or Stroke is inarguably in a static state but, while different images are conveyed through a common carrier, the arrangement of Dots and Strokes provides a new three-dimensional space, one in which an interaction between structure and spatial perception takes place.  The infinite permutations of simple Dots and Strokes—the depths of points and the shades of wet and dry brush strokes—either explicitly or implicitly give an audience a combination of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional, thereby creating the illusion of a transparent relationship, a coding system, which increases room for interpretation.  The alignment of the Dots creates an interactive play of different colors and layers of spatial structure, and the density of the ink and the amount of water cause extensive variations in the work.  The angle and distance from which the audience views the work also expands the number of interpretations.  Accordingly, like an image in a state of constant movement, Nan Qi’s visual offering contains an illusory blur of dynamic beauty which actually resembles the image of bewilderment that his work can cause.  However, the arrangement of Dot and Stroke has both form and order.  The carefully calculated angles, density and scattering of the Dots and the color combinations achieve a state of balanced harmony.  The visual network of the digital age has created the structure of the modern visual experience.  The stroke has been converted into a monochrome Dot, which moves freely but keeps a sense of order, measure, and movement as mystery fills the gaps.  In order to realize this transformation and transcendence, Nan Qi has painstakingly worked towards perfection through a process of trial and error, experimenting with the possibilities of ink and wash and refining his skills.

As his work matures it is becoming more familiar to the contemporary art world.  From different exhibitions, you can clearly recognize the evolution of Nan Qi’s style.  As a result, we have a clear insight into his visual logic: a tempered use of color, unique patterns, and the Dot as an icon.  There are lines within each Dot, a surface within each line, and color within each surface, color imbued with romantic passion and boundless imagination.  If we make a more in-depth analysis of Nan Qi’s work, we discover that the origins of the imagery are clear.  They are part of Nan Qi’s historical memory of social events and trends.  The imagery also stems from his personal experience; an intuitive and visual interpretation replacing a record of social history.  The image here has a narrative and the replication of history is represented by correlating Dots, which in turn, symbolize Nan Qi’s social awareness—his Red Dot Series is most indicative of this (i.e. “Portrait of a Leader”, “The Parade”, and “Portrait of a Movie Star”.)  Taking inspiration directly from photographs of government officials and movie stars reflects the tradition of garnering inspiration from stone carvings.  He strives to keep the essence of traditional ink and wash but can also use his own modern experiences to create the dotted landscape.  This method of using illusory language to express the real world causes reality to distort, leading to a false sense of prosperity and security, threatening our very sense of self.  Strictly speaking, the step that Nan Qi has taken is far too vast.  It not only allows people to see an alternative Nan Qi, but it also reveals the true meaning behind his fantastical images, which are hidden deep within the chambers of his heart, along with his views on social upheaval.  

Traditional ink and wash has been lost in the ethos of the digital age, but Nan Qi stands to preserve his culture through his inimitable experimentation with this traditional form.  From his art, we have a view into his striking cultural memories, but it must be mentioned that he reflected on consumerism, too, recognizing that anything can be a source of consumption, leaning towards a focus on international politics and the world’s eye on China.  The international community seeks to understand the secret of China’s rise to power and in turn discover why China can now say “No”.  Clearly a ‘hot’ topic in the international discourse, along with the tracking of new weapons, it is ultimately the West’s desire to explore China’s overall military strength.  Of course, the collective power of the military parade and, in particular, its symbolic fortitude and resilience, appeals to Nan Qi and his empathetic portrayal of military life reflects this.  His personal military and spiritual experience is his primary source for studying the military parade.  It also allows the audience to experience the power of the Dot’s order and its magnificent beauty.  While the faces of leaders and stars in Nan Qi’s works are instantly recognisable and do not fundamentally change, their significance at the specific place and time of the painting has been completely eliminated.  The spatial reality has been replaced by a variety of small Dots.  The subject is no longer a figure of spiritual depth, rather, a mere abstraction of Dot clusters, a cultural symbol, which lacks meaning but, through an affectation of absurdity, still exudes a strong sense of contemporary culture.  The weight of the Red memories and the subsequent heavy sigh dissipates the moment you really see the painting.  In choosing to create portraits of famous stars such as Zhang Ziyi and key leaders such , Nan Qi uses them as icons of, respectively, the two main eras of consumerism and development.  Zhang Ziyi exemplifies modern society’s features and characteristics, a lifestyle of materialism, economic growth, consumerism and celebrity worship.

In order to achieve this result, the complex details of visual imagery have been removed, and hidden within the image, an additional image looms as the three-dimensional visual technique is activated.  Nan Qi takes pop culture icons and stars down from their pedestals and stands them at eye level.  These icons that have risen from consumerism, that have given their audience a false sense of ambition, have fed into a general vanity that has become a part of our culture.  The inhabitants of modern society rely on the messages delivered by TV, movies, and computers.  Sometimes you have to doubt the validity of these sources but they are nonetheless responsible for creating the world of imagery that has changed the way we see the world.  Modern life is becoming more impersonal, interacting through a digital network while television is wasting our time and devouring our lives.  We are numb, enjoying a false sense of reality, but through “Nan Qi’s Dot”, we are able to see past all this and prove to each other that we can find different perspectives that lie outside of our grim, digital realities.

Each piece is indicative of Nan Qi’s inner thoughts while also revealing our secrets to the audience: worship towards heroes, leaders and stars, anxiety and exhaustion caused by the pursuit of our desires, especially our recent attention towards RMB.  Once again Nan Qi amazes us with his astuteness; the RMB embodies the vision of national politics.  We are constantly under attack from the Western powers to inflate the RMB, but when you look at it on a wider scale, the current status of the RMB demonstrates a Chinese miracle, a Chinese experience and Chinese ways, following the peaceful rise of China—its prospering economy and flourishing consumerism.  Although Nan Qi is at the forefront of contemporary ink and wash, his highly personalized visual depictions and rich creative passion have allowed him to maintain an unerring spirit of innovation.  With his little round Dot that expresses his feelings, what kind of visual surprises will Nan Qi bring us next?  I am sure that, no matter what, Nan Qi has brought us a visual experience that will, without a doubt, make history in art.

Drafted in Shijiazhuang in August 2010; finalized at the Hubei Museum of Art on 26 December 2010